News & Events

25 years of intergovernmental dialogue and preparations for a Ministerial Conference

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20 November 2018

Istanbul, 19-20 November 2018:On 19-20 November 2018, the Budapest Process held its 3rd Preparatory Meeting ahead of the 6th Ministerial Conference, at Senior Officials’ level. This meeting was an opportunity to also commemorate 25 years of dialogue and partnership.

84 delegates from 38 countries and 7 organisations attended the meeting in Istanbul, hosted by Turkey as Chair of the Process. Delegates reviewed the political declaration ‘The Istanbul Commitments’ and the action plan a “Call for Action’ to be adopted by Ministers at a Conference in 2019 and provided comments on the structure and the wording of both texts.

A dinner took place on 19th November to commemorate 25 years of the Budapest Process. In 1993, a Minister-level meeting took place in Budapest, Hungary which initiated 25 years of dialogue on migration, including two major geographical expansions and a number of operational activities flanking the dialogue - making sure that political commitments are translated into operational activities.

Over the last 25 years, the Budapest Process has become recognised by participating states both in East and West as well as further stakeholders, as an excellent tool for identifying and addressing evolving migration challenges. The dialogue has built up a far-reaching network among participating states and wide thematic coverage and is known and valued in the regions it involves. The unbinding nature, the setting of trust as well as fostering of an equal level dialogue, have made it possible to achieve cooperation also on sensitive issues.